THE UNFORGIVING COAST - MARITIME DISASTERS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

As the twenty-first century dawns, the undiminished public fascination
with the sinking of the Titanic, an event that took place only a dozen
years into the twentieth century, is a clear indication of the inherent
interest that disasters at sea hold for most people. This is
particularly true for younger generations who are unlikely to make ocean
voyages, except on cruise ships, in their lifetime, nor to encounter
the potential perils of the sea. For these people the vicarious, or in
today's terminology the virtual, voyages they make aboard the Titanic
may be their only taste of the sea. Adding to the sustained interest in
maritime disasters today is the existence of technology capable of
examining ships on the ocean floor, a potential which has been provided
by advances in deep diving and in self-contained and robotic
submersibles. The possibility of even raising sunken wrecks not only
exists, but, fortunately, has already spawned its own concern for
ethical guidelines...